Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/01—Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled
  • G08G1/017—Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled identifying vehicles
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S8/00—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation
  • F21S8/08—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation with a standard
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/01—Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/07—Controlling traffic signals
  • G08G1/081—Plural intersections under common control
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/123—Traffic control systems for road vehicles indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, trams
  • G08G1/127—Traffic control systems for road vehicles indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, trams to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
  • G08G1/13—Traffic control systems for road vehicles indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, trams to a central station ; Indicators in a central station the indicator being in the form of a map
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/14—Traffic control systems for road vehicles indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Definitions

• This invention relates to a system and method to manage traffic information and, more particularly, a real-time traffic management system using outdoor lighting networks (OLN) in urban environments where lighting units (LUs) act as listening posts for signals emitted from devices in the urban environment.
• OTN outdoor lighting networks
• the signals may be radio frequency signals emitted from automobiles.
• a congestion pricing or congestion charge is a system of surcharging users of a transport network in periods of peak demand to reduce traffic congestion. This may include variable toll-like road pricing fees. This variable pricing strategy regulates demand, making it possible to manage congestion without increasing supply.
• Market economics theory which encompasses the congestion pricing concept, postulates that users will be forced to pay for the negative externalities they create, making them conscious of the costs they impose upon each other when driving during the peak demand period, and more aware of their impact on the environment
• the conventional approach to determine traffic is by installing additional traffic infrastructure.
• This conventional traffic infrastructure includes sensors that are located under the roadway or attached to roadside infrastructure to measure traffic flow, as well as cameras-based systems to automatically collect toll and detect traffic violations.
• KR 2003-0000302 A discloses a traffic management and information provision system using a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) system to manage efficiently road traffic by grasping rapidly traffic state information related to traffic volume, traveling time, and traffic regulation.
• An OBE On-Board Equipment
• An RSE Rad Side Equipment
• a detector is formed with an image detector using a camera and a loop detector using an electromagnetic method in order to measure traffic volume.
• the OBE is used for storing a license number of the vehicle and information about the vehicle.
• the RSE transmits a movement status information of the vehicle, as received from the OBE, to a traffic control center.
• the traffic control center collects information from the detector and controls a traffic state by using the collected information.
• KR 2002-0043264 A and KR 2003-0000302 A rely on bidirectional information exchange process between equipment in the vehicle and equipment at the side of the road to provide data to a regional/central traffic management system.
• One feature of the present invention is related to using outdoor lighting networks deployed within urban environments and cities to gather dense, real-time traffic information that is necessary for smart traffic control and management. This will improve the granularity and/or the accuracy of traffic flow information. This will also reduce the infrastructure costs of installation and maintenance as compared to the convention systems noted above.
• Wireless signals from cars and other vehicles are detected using outdoor lighting networks ("OLNs").
• the lighting units (“LU") within the OLNs act as listening posts for the wireless signals, e.g., radio frequencies signals.
• LUs listening posts
• information gathered from the LUs can further be aggregated, analyzed and presented to users or traffic management/control systems.
• This aggregated information can be used by municipalities to manage traffic, for instance, to introduce congestion tax or to perform dynamic traffic light sequencing.
• This aggregated information can be used broadly, for instance, it may be presented to users, or may be used to predict traffic and direct users.
• DSRC systems are one-way or two-way short- to medium-range wireless communication channels specifically designed for automotive use and a corresponding set of protocols and standards.
• FCC United States Federal Communications Commission
• ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute
• Intelligent traffic management systems configured according the present invention may include one or more of the following applications:
• the present invention relates to a lighting network including a plurality of lighting units.
• Each lighting unit includes a wireless receiver arranged to obtain a wireless signal from an object to be tracked and a communication interface.
• the lighting network also includes a control unit.
• the control unit includes a communication unit that is arranged to communicate with at least one of the plurality of lighting units to obtain tracking data based upon the wireless signal and to process the tracking data using a topology table.
• the topology table is based upon geographic locations of the plurality of lighting units and mapping data.
• the present invention relates to a controller to be used in a lighting network including a plurality of lighting units.
• the controller includes a communication unit arranged to receive traffic data, related to a vehicle, from at least one of the plurality of lighting units.
• the controller also includes a processor arranged to process the traffic data using a topology table to determine traffic related information in a predetermined area.
• the topology table is based upon geographic locations of the plurality of lighting units and mapping data.
• the present invention relates to a method to determine the traffic information.
• the method includes the steps of receiving a plurality of beacon signals from a plurality of lighting units related to a particular vehicle, removing one or more of the plurality of beacon signals if a particular beacon signal is below a predetermined threshold and determining a street the particular vehicle is located on using a topology table and the plurality of beacon signals.
• the topology table is based upon the geographic locations of the lighting units and street data for a region the plurality of lighting units are located in.
• the method also includes the step of estimating a location of the particular vehicle along the street based upon the plurality of beacon signals.
• the invention is defined by the lighting network defined in claim 1 and the method to determine traffic information defined in claim 9. Further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
• a traffic management system 100 includes a central control unit 20 and one or more lighting units (e.g., LU0 - LU10).
• the central control unit 20 may be located near or at a remote location from the LUs (LUO - LU10).
• the central control unit 20 includes a database 21 and a communication unit 22.
• the communication unit 22 is used to communicate with the LUs (LU0-LU10) and may also be used to provide access to traffic information for a user or external system.
• the central control unit 20 is communicatively coupled to the LUs (LUO - LU10), either directly or indirectly.
• the central control unit 20 may be in direct communication via a wired and/or wireless/wireless-mesh connection or an indirect communication via a network such as the Internet, Intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a local area network (LAN), a terrestrial broadcast system, a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless network, or a telephone network (POTS), as well as portions or combinations of these and other types of networks.
• a network such as the Internet, Intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a local area network (LAN), a terrestrial broadcast system, a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless network, or a telephone network (POTS), as well as portions or combinations of these and other types of networks.
• a network such as the Internet, Intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a local area network (LAN), a terrestrial broadcast system, a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless network, or
• the LUs include a light producing mechanism 11, a wireless receiver 12 to detect wireless signals, an optional database 13 and a communication interface 14.
• the wireless receiver 12 may be, for example, compatible with DSRC, 3G, LTE, WiFi, RFID, another type of wireless communication system or a visual light communication system may be used.
• the communication interface as noted above may any suitable communication arrangement to transfer data to the central control unit 20.
• each LU via the communication interface 14, each LU is in communication with the central control unit 20 directly and/or via another LU and/or via an intermediate node (not shown in Figs. 1a and 1b ).
• the intermediate node may be a data collection/processing unit for a particular sub-traffic zone in the traffic management system 100.
• the intermediate node may include some or all of the functionality of the central control unit 20.
• the database 13 need not be included in all of the LUs (LUO - LU10). Since the LUs (LUO - LU10) may communicate with one or more other LUs and/or the intermediate node, any data that would need to be recorded or stored can be stored in another LU and/or the intermediate node as needed.
• the traffic management system 100 performs various functions as needed for the particular traffic management requirements.
• Figs. 2-4 are exemplary methods implementing various functions that may be performed.
• Fig. 2 shows an initialization method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• step 200 a determination is made as to whether all the LUs (LU0-LU10) are annotated by the central control unit 20.
• annotation data is stored that includes one or more of the following information: a unique identification code, geographic location and street location/name. Other information may also be stored for each LUs to assist in the various functions performed by the traffic management system 100.
• the central control unit 20 does not have annotation information for all LUs in communication with the central control 20, the annotation information is updated and recorded as needed in step 210. This may be done by accessing an appropriate database and/or from information provided by the respective LU.
• the annotation information may be provided by a user or another device such as a commissioning tool assistant device carried by an installer or other person in the field that can input the annotation information.
• the topology table may also provide distance data such as which LUs are within range ("R") of a DSRC radio signal (e.g. a value of "1") and which LUs are not within range (e.g., a value of "0").
• each vehicle 30 or object to be tracked/monitored in the traffic management system 100 includes a wireless transmitter 31 that transmits a wireless signal that is detected by one or more of the LUs (LU0-LU10).
• the wireless signal includes at least an identification code for the vehicle 30.
• the identification code for the vehicle 30 is sufficient to detect traffic volume. Additional information may also be included in the wireless signal such as traffic data to be processed by the traffic management system 100 to allow for more advanced applications as discussed herein.
• the updating may include adding a new vehicle ID, maintaining an existing vehicle ID and including/updating time-stamps for the vehicle(s) 30 for which the wireless signal(s) have been received.
• the exact data to be included/updated depends on the functionality to be performed by the traffic management system 100.
• the LU determines if it has transmitted traffic data to the central control unit 20. This determination may be based upon periodically transmitting the traffic data every "T" minutes (an update interval) where the frequency of "T" may vary depending the on the functionality to be performed by the traffic management system 100. The determination may also, for example, be based upon an update request from the central control unit 20 or a trigger based upon an update of the database 13.
• the LU updates/transmits the traffic data to the central control unit 20.
• This traffic data may include the vehicle(s) 30 IDs, time-stamp information, GPS data, signal-levels of the wireless signal, geographical location and identification code of the LU.
• the LU may periodically and/or automatically (after transmission of the traffic data) purge old information in the database 13.
• Fig. 5 shows one example of a traffic data processing method performed by the central control unit 20 according to the present invention.
• Fig. 5 shows how to determine traffic density and flow (speed) which may be provided to drivers on the road or other users of the traffic management system 100.
• the central control unit 20 receives the traffic data from one or more of the LUs (LUO - LU10).
• the central control unit 20 may store the traffic data in the database 21 or other temporary/permanent storage means.
• step 515 if needed to free storage space, the central control unit 20 may periodically purge old data in the database 21.
• This type of algorithm to select which street the vehicle 30 is on is based on temporal and spatial averaging which are both limited to within street LUs. Preprocessing of the data may be done to remove wireless signal data that is weaker than a predetermined threshold. This may help improve the accuracy of the selection.
• step 560 based upon the determined location data and associated time stamp data, for each of the vehicles 30, a local speed can be determined. This is based upon the time difference between two sequential location determinations and the known distances between the LUs (LU0 - LU10).
• step 565 an average speed for each of the vehicles 30 is determined from an average of the local speeds determined in step 560.
• step 570 the average speed for each of the vehicles 30 can be provided.
• a traffic flow in one or more selected location is determined. This can be determined by computing an average number of the vehicles 30 in the one or more selected locations in a predetermined time interval (e.g., a few seconds to a few minutes). The exact time interval will depend on the typical/ideal traffic conditions to be monitored at the selected location.
• the determined traffic flow for the one or more selected locations can be provided.
• Fig. 5 may be adjusted and/or other methods may be used to allow the traffic management system 100 to provide other information.
• This other information can be used, for example, to control the sequence of traffic lights dynamically.
• the other information can be used to track individual vehicles, to enforcement of speed limits, to locate lost or stolen vehicles and quickly identify a vehicle driving in the wrong side of the road and to take necessary remedial action.
• the other information can be used to identify illegal school bus crossings and to identify the vehicle 30's owner (i.e. for traffic violation purposes), thus increasing safety.
• identification and tracking of the vehicles 30 illegally passing a school bus can be determined as follows.
• a predetermined (“stop beacon") signal may be sent by the wireless transmitter 31 in the school bus.
• the LUs (LUO - LU10) in range of the wireless signal would detect and forward the predetermined signal to the central control unit 20 with the time stamp data.
• the central control unit 20 can track the vehicles 30 speed and location (with reference to the methods described above) and determine/record violations.
• the traffic management system 10 may also request images from any connected devices available in the area at the time of the bus stop/illegal passing event.
• the LUs (LUO - LU10) transmit messages including availability information of parking lots nearby to other LUs and/or to the central control unit 20.
• Each LU can store information in the database 13 about parking lots within a certain distance.
• the central control unit 20 may also maintain information in the database 21 for all of the monitored parking lots.
• a driver or passenger in the vehicle 30 may request parking availability information through the wireless transmitter 31 in the vehicle 30.
• the request is received by one or more LUs and sent to the central control unit 20.
• the central control unit 20 receives the request, it first uses the identification code for the vehicle 30 to query the traffic data in the database 21. This can be done to find the closest LU (and parking lot) to the vehicle 30.
• the central control unit 20 uses the stored traffic data to query the parking availability database, and send a message back to the vehicle 30 that includes the parking availability information around the vehicle 30.
• the message can also include route information for the vehicle to follow to arrive at those parking lots.
• LUs (LU0 - LU10) receive such a parking request from the vehicle 30 and the LUs are equipped with the database 13 about available parking lot information nearby, the LU can send a message directly back the vehicle 30 about the parking occupancy.
• the wireless transmitters 31 functions both as a transmitter and receiver.
• the wireless transmitter 31 further includes an output device to visually and/or audibly output the message response.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Traffic Control Systems (AREA)

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• 2013
  • 2013-03-26 CN CN201380017005.9A patent/CN104221065B/zh active Active
  • 2013-03-26 EP EP13722838.3A patent/EP2831860B2/en active Active
  • 2013-03-26 US US14/385,707 patent/US9741248B2/en active Active
  • 2013-03-26 JP JP2015502522A patent/JP6265969B2/ja active Active
  • 2013-03-26 WO PCT/IB2013/052409 patent/WO2013144846A1/en not_active Ceased

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